Typically, scissors are constructed with two separate, slightly bowed blade members being pivotally coupled together by a pivot joint. The blade members are attached to handles, one handle for the thumb and the other for the fingers of one hand. The blade members contact each other at three main points: along the opposing cutting edge of each blade member, through the pivot joint, and by the contact between the blade members in back of the pivot joint and before the handle of the scissors (the ride area). The pivot joint is placed under an axial load directed along the pivot axis of the pivot joint to keep the blade members together, while the contact in back of the pivot joint acts as a lever with the pivot joint as the fulcrum to produce tension and friction between the cutting edges of the blade members which ensures proper cutting action.
The normal pushing action of a user's thumb against the thumb handle acts on the blade member attached to the thumb handle to lever it, with the pivot joint as the fulcrum, towards the opposing blade to further increase the tension between the cutting edges of the blade members. Typically the user of a haircutting scissors will actuate the cutting motion of the scissors blades by moving the thumb while keeping the fingers relatively still in relation to the rest of his body. The blade member attached to the thumb handle is therefore commonly known as the moving blade while the blade member attached to the finger handle is known as the still blade. Typical prior art haircutting scissors are of necessity made with the still blade facing the users palm and the moving blade facing away from the user when the scissors i held with the fingers above the thumb (the most common position for using haircutting scissors), this orientation is required so that the pressure of the thumb will force the blade members together under increased tension rather than spread them apart. Unfortunately this orientation positions the moving blade in closest contact with the fingers of the other hand as they hold the hair to be cut. The moving blade is also the one in contact with a comb or other implement as it is used to hold the hair being cut. This common blade orientation is found in scissors intended for left handed users and also in scissors for right handed users. Having the still blade facing the palm renders haircutting scissors awkward, because neither scissors blade can be rested easily against a steady guide such as a comb or the fingers of the hand holding the hair to be cut. Thus, there is, in most haircutting operations, the constant risk of cutting either the fingers or the comb that is being used as a guide because the moving blade is the blade in closest proximity to that guide.